Tag Archives: LGBT rights

The WWP’s photographer, Charles ‘Chad’ Meacham has been in Minsk, Belarus photographing the gay rights activists during Minsk’s 2011 Equality Festival. Images include pictures of the banned Pride march, which took place on May 17, 2011. See more photos on Chad’s website – www.CharlesMeacham.com

In Belarus LGBT Prides are illegal, and are planned out in secret by a small group of activists.

The activists face being arrested for protesting for very basic Human Rights.

The average age of activists here is 20. Almost all of them have spent time in jail.

Many have also been kicked out of their universities for their actions.

Thousands marched in the Holy Land on Thursday as part of the Jerusalem LGBT equality march.

There were no floats and no DJs, as this year’s Jerusalem March was being held in remembrance for the 2 people tragically killed at last year’s LGBT youth center shooting in Tel Aviv. An estimated 1,500 police were in attendance, more as a preventative measure, as protests were minor.

Participants marched from Independence Park to the Parliament building, where a rally was held asking the government to promote equality and help end the violence toward Israel’s LGBT community.

See Images of Jerusalem Pride and of the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance at:

On the anniversary of the murders at Bar-Noar, those injured in the attack and the families of the two murdered activists will march along with the Jerusalem Open House (JOH) and other LGBT organizations from across the state of Israel in a rally culminating with a demonstration in front of the Knesset (Israeli parliament). This Jerusalem Pride March will mark the end of a year of mourning and the beginning of a year of activism in pursuit of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights and the eradication of discrimination and hate.

On Saturday September 1st, 2009 an armed man clad in a black mask burst into a youth support group meeting in the basement of Bar Noar – an LGBT youth organization on Nahmani Street in Tel Aviv. The intruder open fired, killing the group’s leader Nir Katz and Liz Terobishi, who was only 16 at the time. Eleven others were injured, leaving two additional teenagers permanently disabled. The perpetrator was never found.

This tragedy serves as a terrible reminder to the LGBT community that we cannot tolerate any form of discrimination, intolerance, or prejudice. Many public figures pledged their support of our efforts, including Knesset members and ministers from all corners of the political spectrum. Some of these included Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Minister of Education Gideon Saar, Minister of Culture and Sport Limor Livnat, Minister for Social Welfare Services Isaac Herzog and Minister for Minority Affairs Avishay Braverman. But how will these promises of change be implemented?

The JOH has dedicated this year’s Jerusalem Pride March to creating tangible changes in discriminatory legislation, and resource allocation. We do not seek to “provoke”, but rather to draw attention to the fact that Israeli law and public policy still discriminate against members of the LGBT community. The time has come to take action.

◊ No legal recognition of same-sex unions currently exists in the Polish constitution. Major opposition to same-sex marriages or civil unions comes from the Roman Catholic church, which makes up approximately 95% of the population, with 40% practicing regularly(1).

Same-sex Marriages Allowed? No

Same-sex Adoption Allowed?Yes and No

◊ A single gay person can adopt a child, but no joint adoption by a gay couple is allowed.

Can Gays Serve Openly in the Military? Yes

Anti-discrimination Laws?Yes

◊ Anti-discrimination laws, including discrimination based on sexual orientation, was added to the Polish constitution.

Concerning Gender Identity? Yes

◊ Sex changes are legal, and afterwards birth certificates can be changed.

Cultural Points of Interest:

While in 2004 and 2005 the “Equality Parade” in Warsaw was banned, the country is now hosting the 2010 Europride festival.

Campaign Against Homophobia – a blog run by an NGO organization working in Warsaw that supports human rights and anti-discrimination. They provide relevant news and information for LGBT persons living in Poland. Their main website is:http://www.kph.org.pl/

The Walk with Pride Project

This is a gay issue.
This is a straight issue.
This is a human rights issue.

Walk With Pride (WWP) is a project to photograph and document gay pride parades around the globe. Our aim is to promote pride, empathy, and understanding on an international level, while highlighting the similarities and differences in gay rights and gay culture around the world.